Making The Five Heartbeats

Making The Five Heartbeats

2018 · 85 min · Documentary

In 1990, actor, comedian, writer and director, Robert Townsend, went against every obstacle in Hollywood, relying on his faith, street smarts, and tenacity to bring his passion project, 1991’s The Five Heartbeats, to big screens. The Motown-flavored story of the rise and fall of an African-American vocal group in the 1960s, the musical drama is the subject of Townsend’s documentary, Making The Five Heartbeats. The documentary chronicles the inspiring journey of a young black writer/director (Townsend) determined to present a new image of black people in cinema while endeavoring to create a classic.

Directed by Robert Townsend

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Apple TV Store

Make it a double feature

2h 44m together

Making The Five Heartbeats

Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire

Both from Robert Townsend.

More from Robert TownsendSee all →

Power Book IV: ForcePower Book IV: Force · 2022
Power Book IV: Force
★ 8.22022
SeriesCrimeDrama
Tommy Egan leaves New York behind and plans to take on Chicago, using his outsider status to break all the local rules and rewrite them on his quest to become the biggest drug dealer in the city.
The BearThe Bear · 2022
The Bear
★ 8.22022
SeriesDramaComedy
Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. As he fights to transform the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.
Women at West PointWomen at West Point · 1979
Women at West Point
★ 8.01979
MovieDramaTV Movie
A fictionalized drama about the first women to enter the U.S. Military Academy in 1976 and the reactions they faced.
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H · 1972
M*A*S*H
★ 7.91972
SeriesWar & PoliticsDrama
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.
The WarriorsThe Warriors · 1979
The Warriors
★ 7.71979
MovieActionThriller
Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.
Scooby-Doo! Music of the VampireScooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire · 2012
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
★ 7.62012
MovieFamilyAnimation
Scooby and the gang have their first musical mystery in “Scooby Doo: Music of the Vampire.” It begins when they take a sing-a-long road trip into bayou country to attend the “Vampire-Palooza Festival” – an outdoor fair dedicated to all things Draculian. At first it looks as if they’re in for some fun and lots of Southern snacks, but events soon turn scary when a real live vampire comes to life, bursts from his coffin and threatens all the townsfolk. On top of that, this baritone blood sucker seems intent on taking Daphne as his vampire bride! Could the vampire be a descendant of a famous vampire hunter who is trying to sell his book? Or perhaps he’s the local politician, who has been trying to make his name in the press by attacking the vampires as downright unwholesome. The answers are to be found in a final song-filled showdown in the swamp in which our heroes unmask one of their most macabre monsters yet.
Amazing StoriesAmazing Stories · 1985
Amazing Stories
★ 7.51985
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyComedy
A truly amazing, fantastical, science fiction, funny and odd, and sometimes scary, sad and endearing anthology series presented by Steven Spielberg with guest appearances by many famous actors, actresses, and directors.
Eddie Murphy RawEddie Murphy Raw · 1987
Eddie Murphy Raw
★ 7.31987
MovieComedy
Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.
South of NowhereSouth of Nowhere · 2005
South of Nowhere
★ 7.32005
SeriesDrama
The Carlin family moves from small town Ohio to Los Angeles to find life's not the same. And neither are they.
The Five HeartbeatsThe Five Heartbeats · 1991
The Five Heartbeats
★ 7.21991
MovieDramaMusic
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.
Holiday HeartHoliday Heart · 2000
Holiday Heart
★ 7.12000
MovieDramaTV Movie
After losing his police officer lover, Christian drag queen Holiday Heart meets 12-year-old Niki and her drug-addicted mother, Wanda. Heart finds relief from heartache and a renewed sense of purpose when he steps in as a father figure to Niki and welcomes the two women into his life. But when Wanda becomes romantically involved with her drug dealer, Silas, it may endanger Niki and threaten to destroy the makeshift family.
The Parent 'HoodThe Parent 'Hood · 1995
The Parent 'Hood
★ 7.11995
SeriesComedy
The Parent 'Hood is an American sitcom that aired on The WB airing from January 18, 1995 to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to have been titled Father Knows Nothing, the series was one of the four sitcoms that aired as part of the original Wednesday night two-hour lineup that helped launch The WB network.
The Wonder YearsThe Wonder Years · 2021
The Wonder Years
★ 7.02021
SeriesComedyDrama
A coming of age story set in the late 1960s that takes a nostalgic look at a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama through the point-of-view of imaginative 12 year-old Dean. With the wisdom of his adult years, Dean’s hopeful and humorous recollections show how his family found their “wonder years” in a turbulent time. Inspired by the classic series of the same name.
Cooley HighCooley High · 1975
Cooley High
★ 7.01975
MovieComedyDrama
In the mid-1960s, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest...parties, hanging out, meeting new friends. Then life changes for two of the guys when they are falsely arrested in connection with stealing a Cadillac. We follow their lives through to the dramatic end of high school.
Black LightningBlack Lightning · 2018
Black Lightning
★ 6.92018
SeriesAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
Jefferson Pierce is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community.
Streets of FireStreets of Fire · 1984
Streets of Fire
★ 6.91984
MovieAction
Raven Shaddock and his gang of merciless biker friends kidnap rock singer Ellen Aim. Ellen's former lover, soldier-for-hire Tom Cody, happens to be passing through town on a visit. In an attempt to save his star act, Ellen's manager hires Tom to rescue her. Along with a former soldier, they battle through dangerous cityscapes, determined to get Ellen back.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter